GUSGUS

Keeping your head together and your musical aim true over nearly 20 years is an achievement for any group. In the case of Reykjavik collective GusGus, their ninth album finds them prodding, poking, thrusting and provoking with the usual air of mischief. The band’s Birgir Porarinsson recently helped produce John Grant’s Pale Green Ghosts, so there’s likely to be more curiosity than usual directed their way as a result. The GusGus musical template remains much the same: sleek electrosoul, dark ambience and eerie grooves that pull you in before you know what’s going on. Crossfade is particularly alluring and Obnoxiously Sexual keenly upfront with its delights. There are some moments that don’t click (the title track and This Is Not the First Time sound a mite jaded and overcooked), but for all this, Mexico is worth the effort. gusgus.com Download: Obnoxiously Sexual, Crossfade